Review score edited after recent viewing 03/09/07:

What makes so many independent films good? Is it the bad acting, the lower budget, or something more? I feel what truly makes independent films good is the fact that they are not bound by rules or expectations. Todd Roy's painfully funny DVD KWOON is perfect example of both. The cover to KWOON tells you what you're in for right off the bat- "Bad Acting- Good Kung Foo". He also breaks the rules of film by crossing so many genres it could scramble your brain. There's action, comedy, horror and even slapstick all jammed into one show.

Now I say 'show' because KWOON isn't exactly a movie. Writer/director Todd Roy made a pretty penny on a good investment and took everything he made and put it into three 22 minutes episodes of KWOON- talk about having some big balls! The idea is to turn KWOON into a a TV series on a station like Comedy Central or Spike TV. The kung foo series chronicles the misadventures of five kung foo students struggling to survive in the rough and tumble environment of Silicon Valley. During their misadventures, they take on Death, a Mummy and even the mob!

So how did I hear about KWOON? I ran into Todd Roy at the San Diego Comic Con where he was promoting KWOON with some of the most catchy slogans you've ever seen. After today you'll never forget KWOON because of such slogans as, "The Devil Hates Kung Foo", "It's Like a Porno- but with Kung Foo- Instead of Sex" and "It's Nipple Bloody Fun." I snatched a copy for myself, but I had no idea what type of treat I had coming to me.

Todd Roy has a highly over-stimulated brain that needed some serious venting and his mad masterpiece KWOON is the result of it. The acting is definitely terrible, but it's not the type of bad acting that's unbearable to watch- instead it's almost mesmerizing. The main cast of Todd Roy, Jimmy Lam, Chuck Becker, Onassis Parungao and Nathan Decker is what makes the show perfect, without them the show couldn't go on. They are like Larry, Moe and Curley, when you throw Shemp into the mix, what the hell do you have? Some people are just born to work with each other on screen, and these guys are a team that makes up KWOON. I just wonder if the bad acting is intentional... hmmm, maybe they are good actors?

The kung foo is well devised and the combat sequences are very professional looking at times. The lead actor Onassis Sweeps is highly trained in kung foo and can put on quite the performance. But what really makes the show tick is the humor, which I believe mostly stemmed from the brain of Todd. The show can be clever, witty or just plain ridiculous- but no matter where it goes, it's always entertaining- ALWAYS.

But this is a horror website, so you need to know why the hell I'm reviewing a TV series about kung foo. Like I said earlier, this show crossed many genre paths and horror is one of them. During their adventures they battle a mummy who is awakened by a curse- when the mummy is insulted it will rise for revenge. In another episode the crew cheats death in a car accident and workers for death send out someone to collect their souls because they are past due. These souls are to be 'transitioned' ASAP because it is ruining the alignment of the universe. So there's your horror in KWOON.

But I can't stress enough how funny the shows are- and when I took my love for KWOON a step further, I found that there is tons more fun on the KWOON DVD. I haven't been this entertained watching a DVD is a long time; I was constantly enthralled. For an independent DVD, this by far the best value I've ever seen. Not only are there the typical outtakes and deleted scenes, which were excellent on their own, but the extra goodies are in the dozens. Besides having tons of easter eggs, they have TONS of extra footage of the cast and crew doing everything from promoting the DVD to scaring kids on Halloween. I think Todd told me there was over 90 minutes of extra KWOON for the obsession in me. But usually the extras are a lot of fluff and crappy- but not on this bad boy. Nearly ever single clip on the extras had me laughing- if not once, but twice! These guys are brilliant, funny and freaking clever and if you've got some dough saved up, picking up KWOON on DVD will be one of the best decisions you'll make in your life. You can pick it up for only $15 here, at Amazon.com or watch for it at a local convention where as an added bonus, Todd is there to make sure you get a laugh before you leave. I pray KWOON makes it onto Spike TV, because I'm going to be sitting there watching every episode as it airs.

Until then, make sure to check out the grandmaster of all DVDs- KWOON.